It was the beginning of another long year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; a rainy beginning to Hermione Granger's seventh year. She was Head girl, unsurprisingly, and contemplated all summer who the Head boy could be.
"Not, not Draco." she had wished all summer. She was the smartest girl, and he had to be the smartest boy. She muttered her wish the whole walk towards the Head boy and girl compartment on the Hogwarts Express. As she opened the door, her face transformed into disgust. The boy returned her loathing. As she sat across Draco, Hermione knew that her year wasn't going to have a very good start.
All during the first-year sorting, Hermione kept thinking of the pale blond boy. Through dinner, she dreaded the ever closing time until they had to share the Head boy and girl tower. Her eyes kept flicking towards him, and she sighed. How could this happen? To me of all people to have to share a room ?
"How will I be able to sit there, planning events with that worm?" she asked, aloud.
"I do' 'ow," Ron answered, stupidly through a mouthful of mashed potatoes. Hermione scowled at him and left the table.
"What did I do?" Ron asked Harry, who just shrugged his shoulders.
As Hermione walked up to her new dormitory, she knew her year was going to be the worst one ever. After giving the old woman in the portrait the password, she climbed up a set of stairs to her new common room. The new common room she would share with Draco Malfoy.
There were four doors in the common room. Two had the Slytherin symbol over them: One was Draco's bedroom, the other was his bathroom. The other two doors had the Gryffindor symbol over it: One was Hermione's bedroom, the other was her bathroom.
"Hello" greeted Draco, seated in a chair.
"Hello," Hermione replied, walking past him.
"Have a good summer?" he asked, with a hint of surprising concern.
"Why would you care?" she asked him, eyes narrowing.
"Just to be nice," he answered.
"You nice? Never in a million your information, I had a lovely summer. I just hope you won't ruin my school year."
"Fine. Be that way." Draco got up and walked to his room, a touch of anger in every stride.
"Good God, what has happened to him?" she asked herself.
It seemed to Hermione as if Draco asked her that question because he really wanted to know. But why? What had happened to Draco Malfoy, once supposed heir of Slytherin, over the summer. What had turned him to want to be nice to Hermione Granger?